


Mother (and Father) Knows Best

by HaloRocks1214



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, Hurt/Comfort, Mother-Son Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-09-01 04:33:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16758034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaloRocks1214/pseuds/HaloRocks1214
Summary: TFW your Mom is really just an abuelita that snuck onto your protagonistic adventure who also lacks the height but makes up for it in sass(and your Father is something akin to a demi-god that's stuck in your thoughts and your thoughts only but you know it's whatever#OscarPineProblems)





	Mother (and Father) Knows Best

**Author's Note:**

> hi i binged the first 4 episodes (im not a member) and I just wanna say the obvious statement that won't start any discourse
> 
> i love maria and would lay down my life for her if she doesnt do it to me first
> 
> also Oz Needs Sleep(TM)

Walking up the stairs, a small farm boy eventually came across a sanctuary from everything that had recently happened. 

The sanctuary just happens to be a room with a lock on the inside, though the age of the house probably makes it useless. Nonetheless, Oscar walked in, shut the door, turned the lock, and subsequently slid down said door. Having his head tilted back, any onlooker that had no idea about what just went down would think Oscar was in pain. While that’s not far from the truth (his cheek is going to have a nice shiner), in actuality, he’s trying to hold back tears. 

So many things are swimming around in his head. He wants to yell, he wants to scream, he wants to cry, he doesn’t want to feel anything, part of him wants to wake up in his tiny bed back at his farm and pretend that he wasn’t apart of the second wave of humanity- 

But that’s the thing? He doesn’t have a choice, at least, not anymore.

No one is talking to him. 75% of the team hates him, Ruby hasn’t had a chance to voice her thoughts since- _“Meeting you was the worst mistake of my life”_... and Maria?

Well, no one knows her, and he’s not going to go figure her out himself at this point. 

Oh, right, the wizard in his head. Thanks for reminding him, brain, Ozpin is his most conflicting thought at the moment, for, many, many, _many_ , reasons.

At first, Oscar wanted to be mad. The man lied and continued to do so until _Oscar_ himself had to step in and prevent the guy from doing it again! Then Jinn came, took them through that entire- ‘mind thingamajiggy’- and Oscar didn’t know what to think anymore.

Is he still upset Ozpin lied? Yeah, information like that is a little too important to hide (at least he thinks), but he’s also a wee bit mad at the girls, and Qrow, not just for treating him like he wasn’t there (that has way more hidden meaning behind it than he would like to admit).

Yes, the crew and himself had a right to be mad at the man, but- gods, how could they conveniently ignore four children just _died_ in front them (children which were all Ozpin's is the thought dings in the back of his head), they were apart of a second generation of the human race _itself_ , not to mention everything _else_ they had to watch! (That sword will haunt Oscar's memories for _life_ ) After all that, the only thing they could focus on was Ozpin? _Ozpin?!_ Forget the man! Oscar had to watch all that and _he got punched for it!_

Also, maybe it’s the horror of the situation, maybe it’s the trauma, maybe it’s because his aunt has always told him he has a heart of gold.

But as much as he dreads the oncoming future, Ozpin going silent was one of the scariest things to happen at the moment, because Ozpin was the only figure there at the moment that could help him understand what even is happening to him!

Ozpin was also the only one that could’ve further directed them on what to do, but everyone but Ruby had to go screw that up!

Then again, would Ozpin’s guidance be that credible? Given the fact he has been lying this whole time, would that plan be a genuine one? But he _was_ trying to protect the artifacts, so he must’ve had _some_ kind of inkling, but Ozpin _himself_ said he didn’t have a plan for Salem so why would he-

Oscar let out a noise of pure frustration and thumped his head against the door softly. His conflicting emotions were at full speed again. Oh, great, he wasn’t able to hold the tears back anymore.

He doesn’t- it’s just-

He needs air. 

He won’t go far, but he needs to go outside, just for a moment.

But what about that temperature? As much as he wants to, he refuses to unless he can find a way to do it _safely_. Standing up, he figures if all he could do was pace in the room it’d be better than nothing. Besides, he needs to look around at his chosen place of rest.

Surprisingly the window is in a fairly okay condition, and there’s a nice pile of hay in the corner, so that’ll be a nice bed to sleep on. A couple of broken planks here and there, so Oscar will have to watch out for splinters or varying degrees. Finally, hanging off one of the planks is-

A tarp! A big, grey tarp, commonly used to cover hay bales, in fact, now Oscar has to check for- bingo! No holes to be seen! Sure, the edges are torn and ragged, and it’s a little dirty, but other than that, it’s perfect, not only to cover himself for the night but to cover himself when he goes outside to get that fresh air he desperately needs.

Picking up and wrapping it so he can carry it, now he just has to find a way to get outside without alerting anyone… his eyes gaze back to the window. He stares and thinks, then shrugs his shoulders and goes to check it out. Looking out the window, he finds a window sill that seems relatively stable.

… Yeah, no one is that crazy to go on the roof, especially now.

\---

Situating himself, Oscar couldn’t help but feel like a human burrito, or maybe even a caterpillar.

He’s been out on the roof for at least 10 or so minutes (he guesses, he kinda lost track when he got lost in his thoughts), not feeling the chill due to the tarp he found (it works surprisingly well), and, while the air is nice and watching the snow is comforting, he can’t help but feel this didn’t work as he wanted.

Pulling the blanket tighter around his head, Oscar figures he might as well try to contact Oz again, despite it working so well last time. Closing his eyes, he’s mentally telling himself ‘here goes nothing’.

_Hey, Oz? I know you kinda had the third worst experience of your life, but I really need to talk to you, just me, no one else._

…

Nothing, still blank, Oscar could feel tears dripping down his face again. He squeezed his eyes tighter, hoping once more.

_Please, Ozpin, no one else will talk to me, and- and I just need your input. I don’t care if you give me the biggest lie of all, you’re the only one who knows what the hell is happening, so please-_

**If you are going to spend the night on the roof, I suggest getting rid of those tears so they don’t freeze on your cheeks, it's fairly uncomfortable. Also, I thought I told you me being here did not give you a pass to swearing.**

Ozpin!

_You’re still here! Thank goodness, I was so worried you had gone away for, well, at least longer than I wanted. I don’t think you realize how nice your voice is._

**My… apologies, Oscar, I never intended to make it seem I wouldn’t help you any longer. Call it selfish, call it wise, I just needed a secluded area to think about what’s coming next. This doesn’t excuse my actions, but I hope it provides an explanation.**

_It’s alright, I just needed to make sure you were still here, but, uh, if you don’t mind, what were you thinking about?_

**… A plan. I haven’t come up with the details yet, but it does involve what we are going to do next, and, pardon if this comes off as harsh, I couldn’t do that with... everyone interrupting my thoughts, hence why I went away.**

… Ouch, that’s fair, Oscar supposes (especially after the way they treated Oscar himself, Oscar is fine with Ozpin telling the gang whatever he wants).

**Forget my grievances for now, is there anything specific you needed to desperately tell me? Believe me, I am all ears for anything you need to know.**

_… Oh! Uh, well, not really? Talking right now is all I kinda wanted. My feelings were a general sense of ‘my only help is gone! What will I do?! Aaaaa’, you know?_

Oscar heard faint chuckling.

**Hmm, nonetheless, if there's anything I intend on not failing, it’s you. I know I’m not exactly credible any longer, but I promise to help you through this anyway I can. Please, feel free to ask anything about, well, us. At this point, it’s becoming more of your problem than mine, if it ever was mine in the first place, and I wish to make it as easy as possible.**

_Yeah… I’ll remember that. Thanks, Ozpin, and good night._

**Goodnight to you as well, Oscar.**

Oscar felt the same feeling of Ozpin going away after he was punched not long ago, but this time, it felt… warm, and safe, not fearful and depressing.

Oscar guesses that’s really why he needed to get out here in the first place.

“I knew I smelled teenage angst coming from out here.”

And Oscar found why it was dangerous to be out here: nearly jumping out of his pants and off the roof at the new voice, emphasis on new. Repositioning himself, Oscar watched as Maria Calavera came and sat down next to him.

She set her cane down next to her, but still had a hand on it, “I came to look for ya, Red Riding Hood is about to blow a gasket for many reasons, and frankly that’s the last thing any of us needs.”

Oscar blinked in shock, “How did you get here?”

Maria grinned, “Only fully shut door in the house, kid. Not a very good lock either, I didn’t even know the dang thing was ‘locked’ until I opened the door and saw it on the other side.”

Turns out Oscar was right, again… wait- “Ruby’s been looking for me?! Crap, how long have I been out here-”

Maria grabbed her cane and prevented Oscar from getting up by pushing at his chest, “Hold your horses! You haven’t been out here for that long, half an hour at most, that girl just feels like it’s been a year. Please, sit down, I need to say something to ya.”

Oscar’s panicked gasping calmed down when he gulped, and immediately after he did what she asked, “Alright, what is it that you would like to tell me?”

Maria grinned and took her cane from Oscar's chest, “From my understanding, this ‘wizard in your head’ isn’t all that truthful, correct?”

Oscar was taken back, “Well, maybe, but what says-”

“Hold on! I’m not judging, I’m making a point for the future.”

Oscar clicked his mouth shut.

Maria grinned again, “Thank you, anyways, I felt it’d be important to tell you how I got this fancy pair of robotic 'glasses' on my eyes. I don’t know what exactly compelled me to tell only you, but here I am. I'll probably tell Red too but I think you need it first.”

Oscar tilted his head in curious confusion.

Maria watched the farm boy, then looked away and leaned back and looked at the dark sky, “See, when I was about twice your age, I always thought the truth was of the utmost importance. If you didn’t tell the truth, you didn’t have anything credible to say.”

Oscar has a mix of interest and fear where this story is going.

“Of course, it’s a long story, but don't worry, I’ll keep it brief. See, the thing is, the town’s council- I was living in this town by the way- always told me, 'never tell anyone about your eyes, if you do, trouble will arise', and I thought what a bunch of phooee! What is there to lie about?”

Oscar… is not sure where this is going.

“So, I did the responsible thing and did the exact opposite: I flaunted them off. Told everyone I knew, anyone that I talked to face to face in person was asked to check out my eyes, and, for a while, everything went well, people even complimented me, some even took pictures, but then these people showed up. Word got around about how cool and mystical my eyes were, and these people wanted more than just a piece of the action.“

Oscar’s eyes widened in realization.

Maria shook her head, “One fight and blackout later, I woke up in the hospital with my lesson learned.”

Oscar was stunned, “So, what you’re saying is that some lies are oka-”

“What?” Maria interrupted, “I just told a story, I’m not giving any life lessons.”

Oscar sputtered, “But- but, wha-”

“Listen, kid,” Maria put her hand on his shoulder, looking directly at his eyes, “I told you this story because I wanted to show you something. I wanted to show you where I drew my lines.”

Oscar was confused again.

Maria kept her hand on his shoulder, grounding him, “You know the saying ‘I drew my lines in the sand’, right?” Oscar nodded, “Good, because that’s the point I’m making. Everyone has different lines, some are short, some are long, some are willing to forgive immediately, some people can hold a grudge until they die.”

Oscar is slightly getting it. He pulled his blanket tighter.

Maria took her hand off, “It’s up to you where you want your lines to be. I had mine a certain place, then changed them when something happened. You can do the same, you can change them willy-nilly, or you can keep them like they were on day one. They are _yours_ , they can be influenced, they can be based on someone else's, but at the end of the day, they are _yours_.”

Oscar looked at the roof they were sitting on. His eyes trailed to his feet and his worn down boots.

“I can tell most of you are angry, some of it rightly so, but I can also tell that _you_ don’t know what to think. I’m guessing you’ve had a pretty long identity crisis, right?”

Oscar nodded, still looking at his feet.

Maria continued, “Well, here’s one thing only you can control: I don’t know this ‘Ozpin’, never heard of him, but I do know you can make your own decision about him yourself. Don’t let anyone else tell you what to do, and don’t let their actions influence you unless you want them to. 

Think about your self-drawn lines, and ask yourself, ‘Do I want to forgive this man or not? Is he worth it? Will this affect my lines?’ That’s all I wanted to tell you, and I hope you listened.”

Oscar, still looking at the snowy roof, nodded his head rapidly after pondering in silence for a moment, “Yeah, I- uh- yeah… alright, I did listen and I’ll keep it in mind. Thank you.”

Maria nodded once and sharply, “Don’t say it, show it. Think about it and make that decision, _your own_ decision.” Maria stopped looking at Oscar and looked out over the abandoned farm.

“Kid, I know this is confusing, but I believe Little Red over there, you are your own person, don’t let them say otherwise.”

Oscar blinked and successfully kept the tears at bay. Inhaling sharply, Oscar tried something that either would help him, or kill him. He leaned over and placed his head on Miss Calavera’s shoulder. He waited in silence, a little fearful, even, before she raised her hand and put it around his own shoulders.

Oscar sighed in relief.

Now, while Maria can’t feel it, Oscar could definitely feel another force (spectral like) on his other side where Maria wasn’t. It almost felt like a comforting blanket made out of gas.

Huh, maybe it’s just the wind.

They would sit like that for a while, forgetting why Maria came to get him in the first place (Ruby is probably at an 11 now), before Oscar would break the silence.

“... You realize you just gave me a life lesson, right?”

Maria barked a laugh, “I guess I did, didn’t I?”

A few more minutes would pass, then the duo would stand and walk back down the roof into the window and go find an almost-in-tears Ruby before said girl would see Oscar and pounce on him like a starving lion would a defenseless zebra.

Oscar felt Ruby's hands travel him in worried panic, “Oscar! You’re okay, thank goodness, I didn’t know where you were or if you ran off or if you, oh my gosh, _died!_ It was terrifying, please tell me what happened, are you hurt?-”

Oscar stopped Ruby’s tangent, “Ruby, Ruby! I’m okay, I swear. It’s alright.” Oscar pushed her away wiped away some water on her cheeks that formed, “I won’t do it again.”

Ruby gripped his shoulders, “ _Promise?!_ ” 

Jeez! Her Siler Eyes became fire there for a second.

Oscar grinned and made her loosen her tight grip, “I promise. Everything is okay.”

Better than even, because Oscar has felt something he thought he wouldn’t again.

He feels like himself again.

**Author's Note:**

> let me know if you spot any glaring typos cuz i dont have a beta and im sorry lmao
> 
> lf you wish to scream at me here's my [tumblr](https://halorocks1214.tumblr.com/)


End file.
